Abstract:Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of icariin and its influence on adrenal cortex function in rats with asthma. Methods A total of 40 healthy male BN rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group, icariin group, and dexamethasone control group, with 10 rats in each group. Ovalbumin sensitization and challenge with aerosol inhalation were performed to establish a rat model of asthma. The change in eosinophil count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was observed. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe lung pathological changes, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the serum level of corticosterone. The adrenal mass index was used to evaluate the adrenal cortex in each group, and adrenal cells were isolated and flow cytometry was used to measure cell apoptosis rate. Results Compared with the normal group, the model group had marked inflammatory response in lung tissue, a significant increase in eosinophil count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (P<0.05), significant reductions in the serum level of corticosterone and adrenal mass index (P<0.05), and a significant increase in the apoptosis rate of adrenal cells (P<0.05). Both icariin and dexamethasone significantly alleviated inflammatory response in lung tissue and reduced eosinophil count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the icariin group had significant increases in the serum level of corticosterone and adrenal mass index and a significant reduction in the apoptosis rate of adrenal cells (P<0.05). Conclusion The mechanism of action of icariin in the prevention and treatment of asthma may be related to the improvement in adrenal cortex function in rats with asthma.